Here's an interesting, yet inevitable combination:
- Community funding (Crowdfunding) via Indigogo or Kickstarter
and
- Disruption. To gather info or build things that will disrupt (postively or negatively dependending on your viewpoint) the social landscape.
Here's an example of a tech team that's is trying to raise money (the link to the funding site) to design the first open source plastic weapon that can be printed using accessible technology and materials.
Here's a couple of "reporters" / "freedom fighters" looking for funding to go to Syria (they participated in Libya and one of the guys spent 6 months in a Libyan prison).